Chapter 19: Collecting Protection Fees

The entire continent of Aiminor is surrounded by the Ocean of Mirrors. As the name suggests, except for the southern St. Snow Mountain coast and the northern Messis Mountain coast, where the mountain winds are harsh and the waves are strong, the rest of the Aiminor coastline is calm and serene.

In the western part of the Aimi Empire, there is no mainland, not even any large islands. Therefore, despite the presence of several semicircular bays and even natural harbors, no military ports have been established in this area.

The core reason for this situation dates back to the late Red Moon calendar and the early Magic calendar, when none of the continents or countries had developed substantial fleets or established direct administrative departments for them. Although a few military ports and some forces primarily using ships were set up, given the ship sizes and primary military defense directions of the time, these forces could only serve as coastal rescue units.

For merchants, the entire continent of Aiminor is crisscrossed with highways like a spider's web, covering almost every major town. Although the volume of goods transported via the road network cannot match that of sea vessels, the speed and safety far exceed those of maritime transport. This scenario is one reason why there are no ports along the western coast of the Aimi Empire. Without ports, there are no large cities, or to be more precise, not even large towns.

The Aimi Empire and the Hughes Empire are naturally divided by the Lion River. At the river's estuary, there's a large island formed by alluvial deposits from the Lion River. Initially uninhabited and covered with dense mangroves, it was named West Forest Island due to its location on the western side of the continent. Gradually, residents began settling on the island, forming a village known as West Forest Village. Of course, this was just one of the many small villages dotting the Aimi Empire's west coast like stars in the sky. Later, when large schools of fish were discovered offshore, the village grew, and to maintain order and prevent small-scale island invasions, the empire dispatched troops, officially upgrading the village to West Forest Town.

From a scale perspective, West Forest Town has a population of only about 3,000, small compared to most inland towns. The stationed troops, compared to regular border forces, are also meager. The Empire's headquarters might have had too much faith in the 4,000-meter-wide Lion River, resulting in weaker defenses along its banks compared to other borders. The general responsible for defending the Lion River, Phantom Beast Knight Viscount Fan, had more reason to believe that West Forest Island, located over 6,000 meters from the Hughes Empire, did not require a large regular force. If not for pressure from the Empire's headquarters, he wouldn't even have deployed the basic 200-man Swordsman Camp.

Though he could ignore the island's existence, and often complained in war zone meetings about the excessive military investment in this small town without reasonable returns, the central command never allocated more funds, making this area a financial black hole for his defense zone.

However, if one day, a few people openly came to take over this island, it was something he could never accept.

In the autumn of the third year of the Magic calendar, a few such individuals sat in the meeting hall of Viscount Fan's general residence.

Viscount Fan, seated in a high-backed chair in the middle of the hall, was turning over a letter from the Empire's headquarters, occasionally glancing at the young people standing below, silently pondering the letter's implications:

"General Fan, Commander of the Aimi Empire's Lion River Border Guards:

It is understood that the establishment of troops in West Forest Town has led to an increase in military expenses in the Lion River defense area, which the central command cannot resolve.

Currently, the leader of a small mercenary group, Lord Aimi, is willing to undertake the town's defense work and bear the costs of the already stationed 200-man Swordsman Camp. After verification by the headquarters, this small mercenary group indeed has the capability.

According to the Empire's mercenary group defense regulations, the headquarters confirms: from today on, the defense of West Forest Town is entrusted to this small mercenary group, which will receive 50% of the local taxes as a defense fee; during the defense period, it falls under the Lion River Border Defense Zone.

Duke Fan Datong, Marshal of the Aimi Empire Headquarters."

It is well known that the empire collects a tithe from the domestic populace, half of which is directly handed over to local military and political officials for military and administrative investments. In the past three years, since the establishment of the military in West Forest, particularly the addition of the Swordsman Camp, the investment in soldier pay and equipment has been the lowest among all military branches, even though complaints about personnel increases and insufficient funding have been constant. This hasn't hindered Viscount Fan and his bureaucratic cronies from enjoying some extra income from West Forest.

Now, someone wants to take over, which is certainly unacceptable to Viscount Fan.

Looking through the upper part of the letter again at the young people before him, Viscount Fan speculated whether they had the strength to pose a threat if he refused them—it didn't seem so. Before him stood only eight young individuals, all seemingly under 20 years old.

The leader appeared to be a young nobleman, but only seemingly so. During their brief conversation, Viscount Fan learned his name: Aimi Haber. According to Viscount Fan's memory, there was no such family as Haber among the current count and above families in the empire; perhaps he hailed from a lower noble family. The boy, dressed in white, had a gentle smile and a somewhat frail appearance, with a large two-handed sword on his back that seemed disproportionate to his size. If it were made of metal, it would likely weigh over 20 pounds. It didn't seem like a sword a young man could wield; perhaps it wasn't metal. In any case, the sword indicated his low status, as no noble in the empire would use a two-handed sword, which couldn't be used on horseback, thus affecting a noble's pursuit of knightly identity.

However, the seal on the letter was interesting. Though every letter from the central command bore Marshal Fan Datong's signature, this time the seal differed slightly, lacking the Marshal's emblem. Could it be fake? Should I detain them first? Viscount Fan dismissed the thought; not handing over the area was one thing, but there was no need to offend people without reason, especially those who might truly have considerable power.

"Mr. Aimi, I'm very pleased to see you willing to participate in the defense work of this region. However, as I am stationed in a remote area, I'm not very informed about the outside world and know almost nothing about you. Could you please introduce yourself?"

"Ah, General," the young man in white smiled and nodded, "I am just a small mercenary, only two years in the trade, and there really isn't much to introduce."

"Mr. Aimi, recently, large groups of pirates have been frequently spotted near West Forest Island. Therefore, I've requested the military department to establish new naval defenses. Considering this, I suggest you return to the military headquarters for reconfirmation. What do you think?" Since he was just a small mercenary, there was no need to be overly courteous.

"Ok, then, farewell, General." The young man in white didn't seem bothered by the rejection, nodding with a smile before leading the seven boys, aged 15 or 16, out of the hall.

"Aimi, brother—well, I said it wrong again, Aimi Captain, are we just leaving like this? That general seemed—" One of the boys hurriedly asked Aimi after leaving the general's residence.

"Hehe, just call me brother. I've said, unless it's in official settings, there's no need to be so formal; we're all family friends," Aimi interrupted, speaking softly, "We'll return to the capital and rest for a while. I think someone might invite us back next time."

Viscount Fan, who was smugly pleased with his own performance and the benefits he believed he had secured, was unaware he had already made a grave mistake.

Turning back to the spring of the third year of the Magic calendar, Count Chi, through a series of breathtakingly clever means, managed to win over his seven captains and 25 lieutenants with reasoning, emotional appeals, and lucrative incentives.

In fact, it wasn't all smooth sailing.

Three captains from prominent families were particularly uncooperative, not because they weren't interested in wealth, but because they couldn't accept why a fellow captain could leap over ranks to become their superior. This mindset led to a poor attitude toward cooperation. Naturally, it was under such challenging circumstances that Count Chi's exceptional skills and extensive connections shone through.

Upon learning that these three captains respectively favored wealth, women, and military achievements, Count Chi, under the banner of His Majesty the King and Military Affairs Minister Duke Chi, communicated thoroughly with the Empire's headquarters, resulting in three distinct invitations.

The first invitee was a warrior-type captain known for expanding territories and defending the nation. "Your talents surpass mine tenfold, yet you remain a captain. It's not due to lack of ability but the absence of a fertile ground. For an officer, without military merit, advancement is impossible. Being in the capital, surrounded by mediocre bureaucrats, is like a pearl buried in dung." Count Chi then shared his own experience, emphasizing how his promotion to general was due to having served in the Empire's border forces, where other regions had no wars, making those from the Northern Federation the only candidates for promotion. "I privately believe that with your abilities, if you were stationed at the border, especially the frequently skirmished northern border, promotions to lieutenant general or general would be imminent, even the marshal's staff would not be far from you. If you're willing, I'm willing to stake my life in recommending you to the military department to let your talents flourish." Whether or not this captain's military prowess matched the Empire's border forces' standards, his wit was certainly not on par, as Count Chi effortlessly removed this obstacle.

The second banquet was for the wealth-loving captain, and it began with lamentations: "Sigh, living in the capital is hard. Though I'm a count, there are too many officials of higher rank, and even a small viscount might require me to dismount and salute, plus all the oversight agencies are here. I amassed 400,000 during my four years as a border captain, but in three months here, I haven't earned a penny and have spent 30,000 instead. I miss those distant days." Of course, Count Chi wouldn't mention that his 400,000 came from the impoverished nobility of the Hamian Empire. Upon noticing the greedy captain's envious look, Count Chi slightly modified his previous banquet speech: "I privately believe that with your abilities, if you were in the provinces, you could imagine the wealth rolling in. If you're willing, I'm willing to stake my life in recommending you to the military department to let your talents flourish." Naturally, Count Chi wouldn't disclose his own lucrative plans in the capital to a subordinate who frequently disapproved of him.

Compared to wealth-loving and career-driven men, the lustful ones are undoubtedly the easiest to sway. This time, even the meal was skipped; just two cups of tea, and Count Chi got straight to the point: "Recently, the Empire's central beauty-producing Fourfold District lacks a captain. I've recommended you to the military department. In recent years, military discipline there has been lax, with low-level officers deceiving local innocent beauties under the guise of military spouses, some even marrying up to 15 wives." At this point, Count Chi hit the table hard: "I strongly urged the military department to send you to restore order there. I believe only your talent and handsome looks can rectify the military discipline there. Please, upon arrival, strictly investigate and maintain our military's good image." These heartfelt words moved the lustful captain to tears, his face flushed, he held Count Chi's hands tightly, sobbing, "My parents gave me life, but you truly understand me. If you ever need my help, just send a note, and I'll go through fire and water for you." That night, after leaving the count's residence, the captain didn't return home but rode swiftly to his new post to restore military discipline.